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COURSE CARE

Glen Nager | President | United States Golf Association
February 27, 2015

Golf’s Use of Water: Solutions for a More Sustainable Game was presented
by the USGA on November 6th and 7th, 2012. The Water Summit brought
together experts from science, government, business, academia and golf
to identify and discuss the most challenging issues regarding golf’s use
of water. With communities continually working to provide sufficient
quantities of safe drinking water, it is understandable that water use
for recreational purposes is heavily scrutinized. While golf courses
contribute to communities by providing green space, positive economic
impact and recreation for those who play the game, it is also true that
golf course irrigation is a necessary component of their management. It
is the responsibility of golf’s leadership to ensure that our most
valuable natural resource is used in the most forward-thinking,
responsible manner. View the full presentations from the Water Summit
below.

View the full written proceedings from the USGA's "Golf's Use Of Water" Summit.

Glen Nager | President | United States Golf Association

Glen
D. Nager, of Washington,
D.C., is serving his second
one-year term as the 62nd president of the United States Golf Association. The
chair of the Issues and Appeals Practice at Jones Day and a partner in the
global law firm’s Washington,
D.C., office, Nager is an expert
litigator who has argued 13 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. A single-digit
handicapper who took up the game in his 30s, Nager is in his fifth year as a
member of the USGA Executive Committee, a term that includes two years as a USGA
vice president. He served as general counsel of the USGA from 2006 to 2008.

Veronica manages the WaterSense program in the Office of Wastewater Management
at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Prior to her current position, she
served for several years as special assistant to the Director of the Office of
Ground Water and Drinking Water and also served as the team leader of the
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.

Federal Perspectives on Water and Golf

The presentation will provide an overview of
how the EPA, other federal agencies and businesses are looking at potential
risks associated with water shortages and lack of access to clean and safe
supplies of water. Veronica will
describe how WaterSense is promoting more efficient use of water and how the
golf industry might address this challenge above and beyond its current
efforts.

Mary Ann Dickinson | President and CEO | Alliance For Water Efficiency

Mary Ann is the President and CEO of the Alliance
for Water Efficiency, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the
efficient and sustainable use of water in the United
States and Canada. She has over 35 years of experience, having worked at the Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California, the South Central Connecticut Regional
Water Authority, and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection.

A National Perspective on Water Issues

Water has emerged as a topic of constant
discussion, but what is actually happening with water? Are we really in a water
crisis? What are the issues facing local communities and by extension, golf
course managers? This presentation will explore a few myths about water and
make recommendations for positive action in the future.

Mark has been
the golf course superintendent of Atlanta Athletic Club for 23 years. He is a
past president of the GGCSA, current president of the Georgia State Golf
Association Foundation, and a member of the Georgia State Golf Association
Executive Committee.

Starting With an Open Hand: Working With Regulators and Legislators

When dealing with regulators, most industries
tend to do the minimum to meet compliance issues and then attempt to stay under
the radar. To handle legislative issues the public tends to protest or “Occupy
Downtown.” There are different and likely even better, ways to affect policy.

Regulators want help doing their jobs. Golf
also has a public perception problem. In Georgia,
we had to ask the hard question: “What
can we do to help conserve water that proves we are good managers/stewards of
the resource?” Change is difficult but the golf industry stepped up to prove
the world wrong using a self-policing BMP program, stepping up to work with
agencies on various committees and introducing educational pieces. The result
is increased positive awareness and improved water conservation.

Greg has
served as the Environmental Programs Director for the Golf Course
Superintendents Association of America since 2003. He works with golf industry
stakeholders, scientists and environmental groups as an advocate of positive
environmental progress for the golf industry. He is a frequent speaker,
panelist and source to media, legislative and regulatory bodies.

How Much Water Does Golf Use and Where Does It Come From?

The Golf Course Environmental Profile conducted
by the GCSAA is a project dedicated to collecting data from the United States
on the property features, management practices and inputs associated with golf
courses. This presentation will feature information on irrigation water use
patterns, water sources, costs, conservation practices and irrigation system
infrastructure. Future water use trends and recommendations will also be
discussed. This project was funded through support from the Environmental
Institute for Golf.

Doug has more
than 24 years of professional experience relating to water management. As the
Conservation Manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority in Las Vegas, he oversees one of the most comprehensive water
conservation programs in the United
States.

Lean and Green: Water Efficiency in the Las Vegas Golf Industry

Las Vegas is home to some of the
finest desert golf courses in the nation. A crippling 12-year drought on the Colorado River has challenged water supplies for this
fast-growing city, requiring officials to make dramatic changes to water use
policy. Since 2003, area golf courses have operated under a water budgeting
policy that assures greater efficiency, while sustaining a high quality golf
experience. Since the inception of drought, 30 golf courses have converted more
than 40 million square feet (918
acres) of non-essential turfgrass to water-efficient
landscape designs. Collectively, these conversions are saving more than 2.2
billion gallons of water annually.

Chris is
located in Birmingham, Ala., and works with Patrick O’Brien
in the Southeast Region of the USGA Green Section. He conducts most of his visits
in Alabama, Florida,
Mississippi and Tennessee with the goal of helping
superintendents develop the best management program possible for their
location.

Maintenance Up The Middle: Great Golf and Water Conservation are not Mutually Exclusive.

The enjoyment of golf is shared by many and can
last a lifetime. As social, environmental and economic realities shift, the way
golf courses are maintained will advance. The changes in the perception and the
use of water resources on golf courses can serve as a catalyst to promote
maintenance up the middle which, in turn, will lead to a more enjoyable and
affordable game.

Pat is the
Director of the Southwest Region, working in the Southern
California office. He joined the Green Section staff in December
1991. His primary responsibility is sharing practical information on golf
course maintenance issues to courses in California
and Mexico
through the Turf Advisory Service

Case Studies in Water Use Efficiency in California

This presentation provides practical examples
of how golf courses in California
implemented programs to reduce water use. Three courses are highlighted that
took effective yet different approaches. Specific examples include turf
reduction projects, conversion to lower water use grasses along with a
voluntary reduction in water use, and effectively dealing with mandatory
cut-backs through the LADWP Golf Water Task Force.

Ali, a regional
advisor specializing in Turf, Soil and Water, joined the University of California
Cooperative Extension in the San Francisco Bay
Area in 1980. He has served as a member of the Golf Course Superintendents
Association of America’s Technical/Resource Advisory Committee, and is
currently serving on the United States Golf Association’s Turfgrass and
Environmental Research Committee.

Irrigation Puzzle: Sourcing Water For Golf Courses

The most important issue facing the golf
industry worldwide is water, or lack of it!
Population increases and drought have resulted in golf courses
successfully converting from potable to recycled water for irrigation. The golf
industry has already overcome, through excellent educational outreach, the
negative stereotype of irrigation with recycled water, and consequently, golf
courses increasingly turn to the use of recycled water. The primary question
has become not whether to switch to recycled water irrigation, or even how to
manage irrigation with this new source, but how soon an individual course can
access a recycled water source.

Mike has been
Director of USGA Green Section Research since February 1990. He oversees the
USGA’s turfgrass and environmental research activities, including soliciting
and evaluating research proposals, grant making and development of cooperative
funding with government and commercial sources.

Research Accomplishments to Meet The Present and Future Water Use Needs of Golf

Almost 30 years ago, the USGA organized the
Turfgrass and Environmental Research Committee with the primary purpose to
develop minimal maintenance turfgrass cultivars that conserve water, as well as
tolerate temperature extremes, salinity and pests. With the USGA providing more
than $30 million in financial support of universities, new cultivars were
introduced, water use efficiency was improved, and new irrigation technology
was developed. More importantly, this program redirected university research to
focus on water conservation, while improving the adaptation and management
techniques of the turfgrasses used on golf courses.

Tim has been
a golf course manager since 1976. He is currently the Director of Agronomy at
The Old Collier Golf Club and Senior Agronomist and Vice President for Turf
Dynamics, LLC.

Irrigating With A Toxin

Water quality and quantity are major challenges
for golf courses in Florida.
At Old Collier, we have taken the unique approach of converting to turfgrass
that uses a water supply previously thought unsuitable for fine turf. However,
the use of this water brings new challenges that must be overcome to make this
a viable, long-term solution for the golf industry.

Brian joined
the Green Section staff as an agronomist in 2008 and makes Turf Advisory
Service visits in Arizona, Nevada,
California and New Mexico, working with Regional Director Pat Gross. Brian
is a certified professional soil scientist and has worked extensively with golf
courses facing challenging soil and water conditions.

Henry Delozier is a
Principal in Global Golf Advisors, an international consultancy serving the
investment banking, real estate development and golf asset ownership and
operations business segments.

Jim Hinckley | President and CEO | Century Golf Partners

Prior to forming Century Golf Partners, Jim Hinckley
had a 32-year career with ClubCorp, Inc., serving the last seven years as
president. In 2005, he acquired WMC,
formed Century Golf Partners and, together with his partners, acquired two golf
portfolios in the aggregate 40 golf courses and acquired the Arnold Palmer Golf
Management brand.

Water Impact on Golf Development and Operations

From entitlements and permits to direct
operating expenses, water influences the economic development and operations of
golf facilities in several ways. Specifically, Jim
and Henry will address the key
financial indicators influenced by water and best management practices for facility
development and operations. You will hear a brief forward-look at emerging
trends related to the use and misuse of water in golf facilities.

Karen is the
Director of Conservation at San Antonio Water System. Her department is
responsible for working with customers to acquire one billion gallons of water
each year through proactive conservation education and incentive programs.

Texas has experienced extreme
weather conditions in recent years with drought restrictions present in some
areas for three out of the last four years. In areas where drought management
plans had never been used, 2011 caused them to be dusted off and given a strong
reality check. This now presents the opportunity to have realistic discussions
about how to manage and conserve water every year to minimize drought impacts
and how to manage the extreme droughts we know may come. The challenge is to
balance the need to secure water for health and human safety, the need to
manage water costs, and the need to have economic security for industries that
depend on water as part of their business. Thoughtful planning and proactive
programs are needed and can avert many of the negative consequences of poor
drought planning and implementation.

Dana joined
The Toro Company in 1974 and has been a valuable resource in Product
Engineering, Computer Aided Engineering and Manager of Advanced Engineering. In
his current role as Managing Director of the Center for Advanced Turf
Technology, Dana is responsible for
leading a corporate research and development group working on the next
generation of products and technologies, and how to apply them to the
marketplace.

Shifting Watering Decisions From Art to Science

Using water efficiently is a tough problem. We
are trying to replace a perfect irrigation system in natural rainfall with an
artificial process. With limited supplies of water, we must be certain that we
are using water where, when and how much is needed. Accomplishing this goal
drives us to utilize science and technology. We need more control and feedback
to aid people in making decisions that optimize performance and minimize
inputs.

Bob began working at Pinehurst in 1982 as assistant superintendent of
Course No. 4 and is now Director of Golf Courses and Grounds at Pinehurst.

Uncovering The Past To Find Our Future

In March 2010, Pinehurst embarked upon perhaps
one of the boldest golf course restoration projects ever undertaken. The firm
of Coore/Crenshaw was challenged with recovering or uncovering the aspects of
Pinehurst No.2 that made it one of Donald Ross’
greatest designs. After a great deal of research it became apparent that the
majority of the changes to the course
design and strategy could be attributed to, in one way or the other, the
automation and expansion of the irrigation systems to support numerous acres of
turf. The project resulted in a reducing the total acres of irrigated turf from
90 acres
to 50. The total number of irrigation heads has been reduced from 1150 to 450.
The “old school” center line irrigation in the fairways now determines the
strategic lines of the course. The turf quality and resiliency is far more
predictable the closer you are to the center of the otherwise expansive fairway
lines.

Bill is the
President of the firm WR Love Inc. offering land planning and golf course
design, as well as principal of the firm Love & Dodson LLC providing
sustainability planning and consulting services.

Designing Golf Courses For Water Conservation

How can golf courses be more sustainably
designed to use less water? This presentation includes an examination of the
issues impacting golf course design and the management of water resources.
Water conservation on golf courses begins by addressing the issues of resource
management and conservation throughout the design process for new golf courses
and the renovation of existing facilities.

Rick has been
designing courses with his firm, Robbins & Associates International, since
1991.

Golf Course Water Use - An International Perspective

Rick
will present information about the relationship between golf course development
and water use in China.
This is a subject that has many implications for Chinese social and political
culture. Water use and water quality as affected by golf development in the
past and some ideas for improving this relationship in the future will be
discussed.